226 A HISTORY OF 



cient of the whole town. He gave them to understand, that abou: 

 three or four months before, he had heard the sound of the bells for the 

 first time, and was greatly surprised at this new and unknown sensa- 

 tion. After some time, a kind of water issued from his left ear, and 

 he then heard perfectly well with both. During these three months, 

 be was sedulously employed in listening, without saying a word, and 

 accustoming himself to speak softly (so as not to be heard) the words 

 pronounced by others. He laboured hard also in perfecting himself 

 in the pronunciation, and in the ideas attached to every sound. At 

 length, having supposed himself qualified to break silence, he declared 

 that he could now speak, although as yet but imperfectly. Soon after, 

 some able divines questioned him concerning his ideas of his past 

 state, and principally with respect to God, his soul, the mortality or 

 turpitude of actions. The young man, however, had not driven his 

 solitary speculations into that channel. He had gone to mass indeed 

 with his parents ; had learned to sign himself with the cross ; to 

 kneel down and assume all the grimaces of a man that was praying ; 

 but he did all this without any manner of knowledge of the intention 

 or the cause ; he saw others do the like, and that was enough for him ; 

 he knew nothing even of death, and it never entered into his head ; 

 he led a life of pure animal instinct ; entirely taken up with sensible 

 objects, and such as were present, he did not seem even to make as 

 many reflections upon these as might reasonably be expected from his 

 improving situation ; and yet the young man was not in want of un- 

 derstanding; but the understanding of a man deprived of all com- 

 merce with others, is so very confined, that the mind is in some mea 

 sure totally under the control of its immediate sensations. 



Notwithstanding, it is very possible to communicate ideas to deaf 

 men, which they previously wanted, and even give them very precise 

 notions of some abstract subjects, by means of signs, and of letters. 

 A person born deaf, may, by time, and sufficient pains, be taught to 

 write and read, to speak, and, by the motions of the lips, to under- 

 stand what is said to him ; however, it is probable that, as most of the 

 motions of speech are made within the mouth by the tongue, the 

 knowledge from the motion of the lips is but very confined : " never- 

 theless, I have conversed with a gentleman thus taught, and in all the 

 commonly occurring questions, and the usual salutations, he was ready 

 enough, merely by attending to the motion of the lips alone. When 

 I ventured to speak for a short continuance, he was totally at a loss, 

 although he understood the subject when written extremely well." 

 Persons taught in this manner, were at first considered as prodigies ; 

 but there have been so many instances of success of late, and so many 

 are skilful in the art of instructing in this way, that, though still a 

 matter of some curiosity, it ceases to be an object rf wonder. 



